Trooping the Colour: The Queen’s Official Birthday 2021 👑🏰🎂 BBC

welcome to windsor castle once again the backdrop to the annual celebration of the monarch's official birthday and once again an opportunity for us to admire the skill and the style of her majesty's personal troops led this year by the scots guards at the queen's birthday parade for 2021 yes we are back in the royal borough of windsor this year to mark the queen's official birthday and as the united kingdom gradually emerges from the covid lockdown it is a smaller birthday parade but it is still a splendid showcase for the regiments of the household division just two months ago windsor castle was the setting for the funeral of the duke of edinburgh since when the queen has returned to public duties with great energy it's been a very busy few days her majesty was in cornwall yesterday for the g7 summit and within the next hour the queen will be present here in the great quadrangle of windsor castle to take the salute at her 69th birthday parade as sovereign now the essence of the ceremony when the colour is trooped through the ranks we'll see that a little later that's still at the heart of this very familiar parade there will be some great and glorious military tunes and the royal air force are standing by to pay their own tribute with a fly past by the red arrows to bring today's events to a close now we will have full coverage for you of the day's events we'll have our special guests if you'd like under company coverage you can have that as well by using the service on the red button now i think it's fair to say it's a very busy morning down in windsor home park a great view there the long walk stretching from windsor castle to snow hill um that's where the foot guards are assembling it's a very special day indeed for f company scots guards smartly in place representing the regiment's second battalion because these are the troops granted the honor of trooping their colour today and alongside them there will be three other guards provided by the grenadier guards and the coal stream guards we'll be joining them a little later but this year we're also looking forward to the site of the mounted troops of the household cavalry and the king's troop they will be on parade to present their birthday tribute to the queen and my colleague sonali shah is with the household cavalry as they make their final preparations the beautiful lady smith just being groomed there we're in the horse's dressing room the stables at kumbhamir barracks where some of the soldiers had their alarms going off at 3am but the horses didn't need an alarm they know something's going on and that's because there is a sense of anticipation in the air just a few nerves but the horses seem fairly calm they've had their breakfast they know there's just the last bit of titivating to do and then they're ready and table over here has been posing for our cameras haven't you almost treating our visit here as a bit of a last-minute rehearsal before he heads a mile up the road towards where you are hugh sonali with table and we'll try to spot table a little later on there's plenty for us to take in and appreciate as we look ahead to the parade itself and i'm delighted to introduce my special guests here at windsor we're all surveying the scene and trying to take in all of the majesty of this spectacle and of course the immaculate smart drill of all the troops uh on parade with me is lieutenant andrew speed who served with both the scots guards and the welsh guards and as a former brigade major he knows every detail of the birthday parade a warm welcome to you andrew good morning here thank you very much and with us again as we enjoy the day's events is the distinguished author royal commentator and daily mail writer robert hardman welcome back robert good morning here andrew as i said you're a former brigade major you know every ancient movement of this parade what are you looking forward to well first of all it's great to be sitting here in saint george's hall windsor castle with a superb view of the quadrangle i was lucky enough to be on trooping the color on six occasions during my career four on horseback and two on foot it's a lovely day and today and that's only going to add i think to the spectacle but i'm particularly looking forward to the excellence of the household division and the king's troop war horse artillery i'm looking forward to the uniform the sounds the music but particularly the music of the pipes and drums of the first battalion scots guards i've not heard them live for many years that's particularly exciting and i'm sure that everyone watching at home in the uk and around the world will greatly enjoy the parade this morning well you can see some of the crowds already gathered there in uh in windsor in the great park they're looking at the uh mounted troops the household cavalry the blues and royals and the lifeguards making their way towards the castle itself but we'll be joining them as they get closer to the castle and to the quadrangle where they'll be arriving in a short while and robert given what's been going on in the past few days i mentioned the fact that the queen had been at the g7 summit in cornwall it's an extremely busy few days for her majesty it certainly is hugh i mean uh just this is the queen absolutely back at the heart of national life she'll be loving watching this here the the scene of the guards approaching but uh as you say she's come back from cornwall she's come back overnight on the royal train there she was last night greeting world leaders at the eden project and then came back overnight in order to be here at windsor in time for this marvelous parade the sound that we're all looking forward to and enjoying the senior drum major then the center and the drum majors and uh the bands of the household division stepping off from the former barrier the leading guards as they make their way to the quadrangle at windsor castle 73 men and women on parade in the bands today drawn from all the foot gas regiments of the household division grenadier cold stream scots irish and welsh guards [Music] because this is a scots guards troop a very special feature of the parade which will bring a lot of excitement for viewers because we have the pipes and drums with us today don't they look magnificent they're either even more sparkle to the music that's been chosen f company scots guards providing today's escort as we mentioned they are the custodians of the colors and traditions of the second battalion scott guards that's the battalion that was suspended in all those defense changes of 1993 their color was last troop 24 years ago number two guard just following representing the second battalion of grenadier guards nye megan company number two guard who will be commanded uh by major tom hargrove marching just behind them and then we have numbers three and four guard following number three from the coastline guards and uh from the first battalion and number four guard from seven company representing the traditions and spirits of the second battalion commanding the uh number three guard major ollie morley and commanding number four guard is major george casolit andrew you served with the scots guards for nearly a quarter of a century what would you say to viewers about the spirit and the ethos of the regiment yes you uh we're a very proud family regime that dates back to 1642 i'd wanted to join from the age of 13 when i was invited to change the guard by a family friend and it was the character humor and dedication of the soldiers that enticed me in and then sustained me throughout my career and these occasions are of course extremely important to the regimental family and no doubt many of the old and bold will be glued to their television sets reminiscing about their days on parade in tunic and bearskin but it's not just the regimental family it's also the divisional family that of the household division and we share the characteristics of professionalism selfless commitment loyalty and high standards and we are the best of friends but also fiercely competitive and i'm sure the other regiments today will be scrutiny scrutinizing our performance very carefully [Music] we always admire of course the precision and the immaculate appearance and movement of those on parade but today's focus of the ceremony the uniforms the spectacle well all of that sometimes diverts attention from the reality of life as trained combat ready soldiers scott scales have took part in every major conflict since 1642 and most recently our last battle honor as a regiment was the gulf war 1991. it's quite rare for us to do ceremony duties they are done by our young soldiers in f company and it gives us a chance for those guys to do a bit of the stuff in london and then sample the more operationally focused side of the battalion being part of the household division is all about two for the price of one it's jumping between those roles and that's what we prepare ourselves for one day you can find yourself outside buckingham palace stood attention smart as you want to be and the next day you can find yourself out on ops our premise on the four court drill and ceremonial definitely helps our mindset when preparing for operations i deployed on op shade at 12 in northern iraq kurdistan my job was basically to take key officials leaders to engagements and meetings make sure that everybody got there stayed safe while they were there my time in afghanistan i was clearing minds or the ideas that have been laid on the ground for the civilians to be able to move from one place to another i've got a relationship with a few soldiers on parade today that i've been in afghanistan with left guide colossal mcgonagall who was in my platoon something roy who's handed over the call to me we've got a really connection been through quite a lot together over a couple tours of afghanistan i got blown up in an ied and a warrior vehicle which knocked me unconscious that was a really difficult tour i think this is my first time my kids will be seeing it fully grown up to fully understand it what's going on it was something they're proud of that's that that is taking part in the queen's beta parade my mind and heart is always with the soldiers and operations because you want to make sure they're all safe and i'm sure they'll be watching somewhere as we sort of trooper colour and they'll be watching me prayed escort to the color abs and i'm delighted to be joined now by pipe major stephen bennett and lance corporal reese fitter who featured in that film lance corporal fitter we just saw you on duty in iraq and now you're about to go on parade as a piper here in windsor that seems like a world away to us uh yeah it's all been pretty thick and fast you know um that's what it's about you know being a piper in the household division that jewel roll but it's been quite challenging you know especially on the parade today there'll be i'll be only have three people in view around me you know a lot of people think when i look from the bird's eye view it's running like clockwork but there's a lot of moving parts and it's it's really hard work at the end of the day i can only imagine and pipe major bennett it's your job to keep all those pipers in line how early were you able to start your preparation well we managed to start early in the year with a lot of preparations in camp and some of it had to be done in iraq with the they got some of the boys on operations plus we had a lot of new members in the band so it was getting them up to speed with the music and things like that with a drill there's a wee bit challenging being socially distanced which causes a covert but we managed to get there it's your sixth queen's birthday parade your debut as pipe major and your first one on grass how much of a game changer is that grass technically wise it's it was quite challenging because all you can hear is a person next to you and then now the grass absorbs a lot of the sound so it can be quite difficult just to make sure everyone's playing the correct thing at the right time gentlemen thank you i think knowing all those details will make us appreciate what you're doing out there on parade even more the very best of luck thank you sonali with the pipers and indeed we wish them all the best in today's parade here's a good site for you because this gives you a real sense of the various regiments of the household division making their way briskly and smartly towards windsor and the george the fourth gate a wonderful vista isn't it through that uh gateway all the way down the long walk and gives you a sense of uh the troops as they approach the household bands first senior drum major scott fitzgerald leading the way in the center signaling to turn to the left [Music] this parade of course has music at its core as well as the immaculate drill as they all wish her majesty a very happy birthday because uh they make their way into the quadrangle here in windsor in lovely sunshine today andrew i'm just wondering as we look at these uh troops not just in the vans of course but at the other as well how does that range of skills transfer itself from one function to another well i think the people you interviewed just then showed exactly the skills that are required and they spoke about the dual role very nicely but for me personally it's the attention to detail the teamwork and pride in your joint effort on parade that are just as relevant when you're in places such as iraq and afghanistan and sometimes the change can be really swift i was on parade in 2001 as captain of number four guard and not only beforehand were we rehearsing for the parade but we're also training for operations we've been given notice to deploy on a counter-insurgency operation the week after the parade having hung up our tunics the call came and we deployed some of the regimes of course not with us today and andrew some of your former colleagues in the welsh guards currently in iraq irish guards providing support to the zambian government helping to tackle poaching and i think it's very important that uh they have their voices heard today as well because they'll be watching uh they told us that they'll be keeping a sharp eye on the parade they sent us these messages greetings from baghdad as our battalion the welsh guards begin our 12-month commitment to operation shader having commanded last year's parade we now find ourselves out on tour in the middle east underlining our dual role both ceremony on operational soldiers but to all of you taking part in today's parade wishing you all the very best for a fantastic performance up at the castle all of us good luck on behalf of first battalion irish guards which is currently deployed in zambia on a counter coaching operation just like the west company of the scots guards best of luck in triple color and also like to wish the queen a happy birthday and our thanks to the friends of the irish and the welsh guards for those [Music] messages pipers as ever magnificently impressive in their royal stuart tartan the full highland dress and the played sash that you can just about see across the body with 11 fleets 11 is significant because 11 refers to the number of victoria crosses won by the [Music] regiment [Music] and if we take a little closer look at the escort we take center stage today the captain of the escort is uh major sam wesley um many of the guardsmen for them it'll be the first time on any major parade so the pressure's on and for the officers it's also their first birthday parade and among them 34 of them guardsmen of course in the escort 10 soldiers from commonwealth countries and they include land sergeant menzie bembe we heard earlier on lan sergeant bhagini siko from fiji three fijians in the escort today all the adjustments being made everything inch perfect and a great view of the household cavalry a mounted regiment 40 men and women 40 horses taking part in the parade today field officer for the house of cavalry uh is major tom mountain the escort commander captain charlie onslow history of the lifeguards and the blues and royals going back to the uh at root the 17th century the blues and royals a little more recent in their current formation but the roots of all of these regimens going back to the 17th century itself and as we look at this site in windsor and as the mounted troops are ready to make their entrance into the quadrangle household cavalry should underline this the most senior regiment in the british army they celebrate that rich heritage but they're proud of the progress they're currently making as well in modernizing at the regiments not least in the way that they've promoted women into some key roles the house recovery is two regiments the ceremonial regiment which is based here in high park barracks and they are responsible for delivering public duties and state ceremonial the other side of the job is the service regiment in bulford and that is the operational side the household camera regiment is a reconnaissance regiment so everybody in the regime does reconnaissance and they also specialize in other things such as snipers anti-tanks and the ipad's teams our pas stands for remotely piloted air systems with the eyes and ears of the forward troops with a different perspective on the battlefield it was announced in 2017 that women were allowed to join the combat arms so specifically for us the royal armor corps and then in 2018 we had our first uh soldier and officer joined the household cavalry both my parents were in the royal logistics corps my mom joined when she was about 18. she wanted to join this regiment but obviously she couldn't at the time in a way i'm kind of living her legacy it's a sense of adventure really you get to play with all the big guns and stuff like that it's all a little boy's dream but obviously it's mine as well i was born and raised in south africa i've got a bit of a horsey background and i'm particularly interested in the armored side of it so i thought well mixing the two together that would be the perfect kind of dream job it's been fantastic to see our regiment opened up to women to join like anything there's been a few uh frictions as we go but it's something that we're we're learning and we are embracing since i've started working with people's army i've certainly become more empathetic i've become a much better listener and i think that's what the household career is so good at doing is we take new situations we mold them and then we work with them i think everyone just focuses more on the job than anything else so that's how you do it our soldiers make us what we are as a regiment they're hugely adaptable their ability to react to change take a new platform forward is exceptional and they're doing a fantastic job right now i feel like all the work here at knightsbridge kind of reinforces the fact that when you move over to armoured side you're going to be stuck in a really small space all together and you need to work as a team to get the job done all the hard work and all the preparation that involves all the regiments [Music] this is the result you can see the color party just to the right there in position they have the duty of protecting the color which will be trooped through the ranks in today's parade two sentries are guardsmen richard farnworth and liam connealy traditionally the two tallest guardsmen in the company the color is held by sergeant robert mcenroe now the greens color of the second battalion richly embroidered with the scottish thistle and the english rose intertwined and 30 of the regiment's 93 battle honours were awarded in the first world war much more recent battle honour for the second battalion is the falklands conflict where they declared victory at the battle of mount tumbledown the action that led to the surrender of the argentine forces on the 14th of june 1982 that's 39 years ago this week and andrew i think it's fair to say there's a strong family link between the scots guards and the falklands yes you many sons have followed their father's footsteps into the regiment over the years and a particular note today is gazan gallanders who's in the escort his father is a falklands veteran and it's also worth noting that the regimental accident of the scots guards and major james kelly who will be on parade later was also part of the falklands campaign as a young royal marines officer [Music] the king's troop royal horse artillery 43 men and women in the king's troop 30 horses parade commander major victoria flood the base that the royal artillery barracks and woolwich their striking uniform of navy blue tunic and gold braiding and the busby and the red busby bank and then of course the guns dating from the great wall from the first world war and it's reported that one of these guns was actually used to fire the opening rounds the battle of the song [Applause] mounted troops who were not with us at the parade last year so it's such a good thing to have them with us this year they're adding a lot of style and sparkle to the parade itself and makes it more complete and there we have the blues and royals and the lifeguards the blues and royals and their navy tunics and the red bloom and there we have the dazzling scarlet tunics and the white queens of the lifeguards the last two contingents to join us here in the quadrangle ready for this parade all the dust being kicked up on the gravel there which surrounds the quadrangle a little reminder of the kind of scenes we see at horse guards parade on a smaller scale but still absolutely dazzling and splendid to see central to the parade as we'll see that color party and of course one of the other main contributors to this parade today will be the regimental science major colin kirkwood vital role today he takes uh possession of the color hands it to the ensign he's been honored by the queen today for his long service with the meritorious service medal and he's about to go to santos to take up a very important position as academy sergeant major he shared his thoughts on this final birthday parade [Music] i've come company's callers have not been on parades since 1997. it's a big moment for all the sitting battalion x7 members and the current guys having been in there for 23 and a half years i'm moving on to be the academy star major on santos it's one of the greatest honors as a foot girls stamp major i'm going to be responsible for hopefully leading and mentoring the next generation of officers at the academy i started my career in f company scottish guards with their colour and i'm going to finish my time tripping their colour which is a great honour for me as well real sense of pride and of course of responsibility andrew your thoughts on the role that is taking place today and of course the one that he's about to take up well it's an incredibly important role on the parade today but he alluded to the really important role that he's going to fulfill with the royal midge academy santos i was fortunate enough to serve there on three separate occasions and sanders is a unique place where a lot of the young officers all the young officers are trained by senior non-commissioned officers and platoon commanders so his leadership will be extremely important to the future as he said of many of the young officers in the british army now the commanding officer of today's parade known as the field officer in brigade waiting is lieutenant colonel david marsham originally a scots guards officer he's now commanding officer of the cold stream guards and he follows in the footsteps of his uncle lieutenant colonel johnny stewart who commanded the scottsdale's birthday parade back in 1997 and sonali spoke to david marshall a little earlier good morning colonel martial morning tonight a very special morning it is it always is but in particular for you because nearly 25 years ago your uncle was field officer in brigade waiting as the scots guards were trooping their colour it's a proud family day my grandmother's watching from scotland my parents actually managed to get down here today and my wife and children will be watching at home my children are probably wondering how daddy's managed to get onto the telly and bouncing up and down on the sofa and urn sign here in windsor when the scots guards received their new colours nearly two decades ago what's it like being back here it's great um yes it's quite emotional actually the this is this this job come on the officer of the costume guys marks my last job as a regimental duty and my first was as the end sign holding the regimental color of the second battalion scots cars in windsor and this is your first birthday parade though it is what have been the challenges actually i think it's worth noting that we would have loved to have been on horse cars today um we're in windsor and i think it's a it's a recognition that the united kingdom has pulled together over the cast of course the last 18 months and the household division as a microcosm of the uk has been able to adapt to innovate and to create something truly special for to mark her majesty's official birthday colonel martian thank you and i'm sure all the families watching at home will join me in wishing you the very best of luck thanks ali yes indeed we do and we're looking forward to all of those taking part in the parade today her majesty will be joining all the company in the quadrangle in about 15 minutes time at 11 o'clock we're waiting for the arrival of the major generals party because they will be taking their positions around the saluting base the deus where her majesty will be taking her place shortly [Music] the pipers taking up the tune festival of missed covered mountains as the major general's party arrives [Music] party includes the crown macquarie the officer known as silverstick and silvastic adjutant regimental colonel of the scots guards regiment legend of the scots guards [Music] and at the rear of this group is the major general himself [Music] but his major general chris geeker general officer commanding london district and major general commanding the household division [Music] and with him colonel jeremy bagshaw the chief of staff flood in the district who's been awarded the cbe in the birthday honours that's for his role in the fight against the pandemic over the past year [Music] the brigade major then general guy stone also there the welsh guards and garrison sergeant major andrew stokes both of whom have been honored by the queen for their role in organizing the funeral of the duke of edinburgh in april of this year [Music] today we are of course celebrating the sovereign's official birthday queen's actual birthday was on the 21st of april when she was 95. [Music] royal family a few days ago would have been reflecting no doubt on another significant birthday because had he lived the duke of edinburgh would have been celebrating his 100th birthday on the 10th of june and robert we're here at windsor where really the fabric of the buildings and in many ways the spirit of the place there's the imprint of the duke absolutely everything about this magnificent castle and the estate around it bears as the duke's imprint after the fire of 92 it was the duke who supervised the restoration he's been the ranger he was the ranger of the great part longer than anyone in its history and of course he also he loved this parade i mean 64 years he was a colonel 22 years of colonel of the welsh guards and then 42 years of the grenadiers so he'd have loved this uh but uh of course he will be in all our thoughts today but today of course is the queen's birthday so the scene is set for the arrival of her majesty uh within about 10 minutes before that the bands of the household division going to play three pieces of music which we're looking forward to first is scottish emblem composed by major archie ellis conducted by major mark aldridge director of music of the scots gods on the pipes bottom pipes 10 [Music] so [Music] hmm [Music] so [Music] so this performance by the mass bands will continue with the belmaers waltz combining a modern scottish waltz composed by the accordionist phil cunningham paired with the traditional e-banks and braves of bonnie doon [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] magnificently played that was the bell mayor's waltz the final piece before her majesty's arrival is the abedonian collection of scottish folk songs conducted this time by lieutenant colonel simon hall commanding officer senior director of music of the household division bands [Music] so [Music] so [Music] uh [Music] [Music] the thrilling tune of the abedonian the time is approaching 11 o'clock and her majesty's arrival here in the quadrangle god [Music] god the majesty of the queen escorted by his royal highness the duke of kent who's colonel of the scots guards majesty who celebrated her birthday at 95 back in april duke of kent who is 85 this year passing members of the major general's party her majesty was at the g7 summit yesterday in cornwall returned overnight and we'll be meeting president biden tomorrow it's a very busy time the parade will begin at 11 o'clock god royal fire oh hey so [Music] no so the queen's birthday parade of 2021 is getting underway and in line with tradition the bands of the household division will provide the musical opening directed by lieutenant colonel simon hall go [Music] oh [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] london pipes by the center and the music changes to septem uno that is the motto of the household division seven joined into one quick march specially commissioned for today by the scottsdale's director of music major mark aldridge and keeping an eye for the spin wheel there it is band turning 180 degrees maintaining social distancing in a pretty restricted space it's quite an achievement [Music] so [Music] so [Music] there is drummer rodney bromhead waiting for his contribution to be made his father was a piper in the regiment so it's a proud moment for them [Music] so drummer playing eight bars of a field signal called the drummer's call and an orderly guardsman luke monks marching forward let's take the pace stick from regimental some major colin kirkwood ready for the next phase of this parade [Music] oh quick yes good stepping off to the familiar march of the british [Music] grenadiers [Music] right stress subaltered of the ascot captain charles longstaff giving the order for members of the escort to realign [Music] [Music] oh great moment for the regimental salt major colin kirkwood we heard from him earlier now preparing to take possession of the color protecting it with his sword ready to transfer it safely to the ensign tunnel to hewdingwall who will troop the color through the ranks today the end sign receives the color ready for the trooping present oh [Music] escort to their color slow and so escort to their color will retire about 10. oh [Music] not [Music] the escort is advancing in slow time in three socially distanced ranks as they safely troop the color through the ranks tune his escort to the color by richard ryden's [Music] so [Music] so [Music] to the grenadier's slow march and here we have the essence of this parade color being a crucial rallying point on the battlefield reminding everyone on parade today of the lasting bond between them and the sovereign and andrew it's important for everyone watching today to realize the significance of the color yes indeed you as you say is the rallying point because the battlefield was thick with smoke of musket and cannon fire and this act allowed them to recognize their own colour despite that and you mentioned the 11 victoria crosses won by the regiment earlier three out of those victoria crosses were one in relation to actions surrounding the colours and because they were so important they were considered a prize worth capturing by the enemy so they were often in the thick of battle today the colour is the physical manifestation of the regiment's history and our forebears sacrifices so it's revered and held in very high regard because of that of course such an honor for the ensign to be carrying the color lieutenant hugh dingwall he explained what he was feeling [Music] the colours are always held by a junior officer while trooping the colour or on the battlefield we had tryouts looking at our foot drill our sword drill our colour drill and then the panel judged on who the best one was and that person the job and that was me i was very very excited nervous and ready to get training my worst nightmare would be a windy day if you present the colors in front of her majesty where they're supposed to gracefully come across in front of you gathering the colors after that in a wind is sometimes very difficult [Music] god god will move to the left entry uh so the trooping phase is complete and the march past is about to begin all the energy and the vigor of the march pass when her majesty will be taken suit led by the field officer then colonel davie marsham the major of the parade is major adrian [Music] havelock [Music] the adjectives captain william bird [Music] [Music] music changes to the british grenadiers traditional quick march for number two garden i'm megan company grenadier guards and as numbers three and four guards march past the queen the music changes to milanolo quick march of the cold stream guards [Music] [Music] music changes to the neutral quick march edinburgh castle andrew and robert watching this with me keenly and i think it's fair to say robert the queen seemed to be tapping her foot and enjoying lots of that absolutely huge it was it was very sweet moment there as she just picked up the the rhythm and of course for her i mean it's for the whole country this is a a a very uplifting day given the year we've been through to see all this unfolding now yes it's not as big as the traditional trooping but it's still a wonderful sight the music i think as well as a spectacle the sound as well just hearing boot on gravel and we'll hear it later with the horses as well it's a really special day for them as we look at the final section of this uh march past andrew just a quick word on how they've done well of course they've done very well they've been rehearsing for many many days for this and it's a wonderful moment marching past her majesty as you're getting there your chest is inflating your buttons are almost popping with pride as you go past her majesty and it's a particularly intimate location here at windsor far closer to the dice than he would be on horse guards so i bet that was a particular special moment four of those on parade oh right [Music] god god royal salute [Music] no [Music] shoulders [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey your emergency cards are ready to march off man field officer has asked her majesty's permission to march off to conclude this birthday parade of 2021 and permission was granted [Music] [Applause] [Music] god [Music] there we had the commands for the mounted troops to pass the saluting base led by the king's troop royal horse artillery and then both divisions of the house of cavalry [Music] there we have the lead gun in effect the color of the king's troop the queen will acknowledge the gun as she would the color of the foot guards regiments these 13 pounder guns pulled by a team of six horses they're over 100 years old they date from the first world war [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] queen today in a gray and lemon matching angela kelly coated hat [Music] so outsole cavalry making their way towards the saluting base losing royals first and then the lifeguards [Music] field officer commanding the sovereign escort today major tom mountain [Music] the music changes to the regimental walk of the lifeguards the officer the back of the troop is known as the serophile captain today that position taken by captain joshua edwards mounted troops leaving the quadrangle via the george the fourth gate and into the grounds beyond and here we have the great concluding symbol of the red arrows fly past [Music] well her majesty clearly loved that nine aircraft in formation over windsor just to bring this parade to a conclusion [Music] and the queen now enjoying this very rosy tune great and glorious [Music] beautifully done [Music] [Music] quick so the guards of the honor once again march past her majesty with a spring in their step and a twinkle in the eye no doubt mass bands playing when the guards are on parade andrew this is surely a very special moment be marching past the queen indeed some eye contact as well which really does reinforce the kind of bond between the monarch and the household division indeed we have a very strong bond with her matashii being her personal troops it's a great honor to be able to participate in this parade on an annual basis i loved every minute of it although it involves a great deal of preparation and today i should quickly mention ward officer class one desi the sound major of the first pound costume guards and his drill sergeant or an officer class to walker because they have put a lot of effort into preparing the troops going back probably all the way to the end of march as the majesty surveys the last part of this parade andrew it's worth underlining again i mentioned that this was the 69th parade of majesty's range he's attending this as a sovereign 69th time which is a record frankly there's nowhere near matched by any other sovereign is it true that she knows more about this than anyone else well i think given the amount of times her majesty's seen the parade she must be the foremost expert in the country on this parade there is no one to match her even the brigade major and the gases are major melee claim to that but they certainly cannot beat her majesty's knowledge of this parade robert i'm bound to say that given that we mentioned the heavy schedule for her majesty in the past few days indeed since he retook up uh public duties after the funeral there's been a remarkable energy and clear sense of enjoyment today which for a monarch of 95 years is quite a thing it really is hugh and i mean i think it's worth remembering and next year will be the 80th anniversary of her very first public engagement of any and it happened right here on the quadrangle when she was a 16 year old looking at her inspecting the grenadier guards in 1942 and here we are nearly 80 years later and she really is enjoying today and she's enjoying the moment i mean we saw the smile on her face at the g7 last night but i think people will up and down the country will have noticed for example how in her zoom conferences in recent months she's a real energy to her you know she she really is determined to play uh fuller part in the life of the nation as she always has and i think for her today i mean we hear a lot of the moment about green shoots of recovery well i think she will enjoy seeing these scarlet shoots of recovery indeed i don't think anybody would crumble with that and andrew i mentioned the pipers at the start because of course it's a scottsdale's troop but gosh they have been quite magnificent they have you and that march past when the the regimental march comes on is another moment that sends a shiver down the spine it's a great excitement and this that sound is so unique and so wonderful that as a scots guardsman it is possibly one of the best things to hear on parade a broad smile which says it all as the queen has a little chat there with the duke of cantu's colonel of the scots cars he must be very proud today oh i'd give a fortune for a little uh eavesdropping there because she had a few things to say and she was making a point very forcefully just underlining your point andrew but her majesty's very firm views on how the parade has gone and they're having a few words with the major general chris kiker and a look at the watch and a smile maybe saying robert that they were more or less on time absolutely she she will know she will know to the second and uh of course it's wonderful for her i think today she this is this is not you know marking uh in any sense as sort of the end of a period this is this is a very busy summer in prospect here and and tomorrow the eyes of the world are going to be on this quadrangle again because she's going to be uh greeting the president of the united states here joe biden's coming the 13th serving u.s president she's made she's actually met 14 u.s presidents because she met herbert hoover after he'd been president and there is no one alive in america or anywhere else on this earth who has ever met 14 u.s presidents so once again we've heard a lot about soft power in the last few days and uh the use of influence and persuasion over coercion the the and really this has been an embodiment of that uh you know this absolutely sums up what the country is about and what our monikers about and i think she would have been very proud as indeed uh all these uh guards will have been proud to be here today and this site which is summing up what the armed forces are all about and certainly the forces of the household division and what's in store for them in the next few months andrew just give us a sense of what they are looking forward to well as already mentioned some of them will be back here tomorrow for the visit of president biden so they'll be getting back onto those boots this evening getting to the high polish that is required others will just be enjoying a small break perhaps before they deploy another to other places for example the coal stream are off to the falklands and also go on exercise to jamaica and then as we've mentioned already the platinum jubilee is something to look forward to next year something that's really exciting for the nation for everyone who can participate in these sorts of parades and if i could put my tunic back on for one day it would be next year better have a word with the major general i think very quickly andrew and as a former brigade major surely you'd get a free pass into that uh guy stone and i are good friends we served together in afghanistan in 2009 and we often remark on that wonderful job the brigade major's job as being one of the best in the british army but i don't think even that would get me back on parade for one day well certainly um the household division will be very prominent in those celebrations next year robert and just the viewers obviously would be wondering what's in store during that platinum celebration uh what do we know well we know a very full programme of events uh as andrew has mentioned a full birthday parade uh moving from the saturday to the thursday there's going to be a a pop concert at backing a full concert we don't know whether it's pop or classical probably a bit of both um we're told top world entertainers and there's going to be an enormous up and down the country a revival of street parties the big lunch as it's called now uh the queen was uh at an event to mark that last night in cornwall to thank the organizers of that so it's going to be one of those great moments when the whole nation comes together and of course not just the jubilee but uh she's also looking forward to her commonwealth games coming to birmingham next year as well so uh up and down the country and indeed across the commonwealth across all her realms we've never known a platinum jubilee this is uncharted territory and she will be at the heart of it we are looking forward to it [Music] well the queen's birthday parade of 2021 at windsor castle has come to an end yes it's been a scaled back event yet again this year because of the pandemic restrictions but there was nothing scaled back about the quality and the precision of the parade and as robert was saying it certainly whets the appetite for next year's parade very special event forming part of a weekend of celebrations for the queen's platinum jubilee now as for this year's event well you can enjoy it all again and why not uh highlights programme is on bbc2 this evening at 8 pm but for now from my special guest lieutenant colonel andrew speed and robert hardman and everyone on the bbc team at windsor thank you for watching and goodbye [Music] you

Channel: BBC

Views: 647,027

Rating: 4.8499455 out of 5

Keywords: commonwealth countries, prince william and harry, prince william, prince william and kate middleton, kate middleton, royal family, special coverage, british pageantry, monarchy, carriage parade, The Queen's Birthday Parade, Windsor parade, windsor castle, bbc trooping the colour, bbc the queen, bbc the queens birthday, british national anthem, the queens birthday parade, the queens birthday party

Id: 7RbWbdimWwc

Length: 90min 10sec (5410 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 12 2021